Once upon a time: How a Shadow fell in love with Sunshine
by MakeItHale
Summary: "There is no her without him. There is no him without her. Yet, they cannot exist completely together." A fairy tale of sorts about Gajeel & Levy where he is a Shadow that lives under a tree and she is the Sunshine. The infamous struggle between light and dark is more than what appears and far more than what can be understood. *T for super light violence. Just in case*


**Disclaimer:I don't own Gajeel (Shadow) or Levy (Sunshine). Only the plot belongs to me.**

 **Welcome! I created my own AU thing for the Gajevy Week bonus prompt: differences. Don't forget to review!**

 **Enjoy :)**

Everyday he watched her grace the green valley from under the protection of its only tree, a large oak. From sunrise until sunset he sat there and watched, for he is confined when she roams around. You see, darkness cannot cover the world when there is light and he resented her for that. Shadow hated how the birds sang of her arrival. He was jealous of how happy the squirrels of the forest dashed into her warm embrace come morning. He despised her happy mess of sky blue curls and her eyes that shone like polished gold. He wished more than anything to not need her.

One day, when the darkness began to plot against the light, he volunteered to make an example of his Sunshine. He would force her to experience the clinging cold of the Shade just as life forced him. So he waited and waited until she unwittingly pranced close enough to the border between light and dark. A dark, scarred hand reached out and grabs onto the flowing yellow fabric of her skirts, yanking her from the valley and breeze into something she had never known. Her delicate giggle ripped from her throat. A cry erupted from the forest. Every creature and plant shrieked in confusion for the Sunshine had left, yet her pained scream broke through them all. The darkness burned against her freckled skin and left its mark.

Shadow completed his mission, yet he did not rejoice. The applause from his fellow night dwellers fell on deaf ears for he knew that this victory meant nothing. Rough fingers glided over pale, freckled skin. Never in his life had he experienced that texture...that softness… nor the warmth that continued to cling to her despite the situation. He knew light would come for her then she would return stronger than ever. If anything at all, hopefully she would return less beautiful because the Shadow secretly thought her so. His heart was cold and tired, yet it was because of her that he knew it had yet to totally succumb. Everytime she laughed with the stream or danced amongst the daisies or even sighed he felt it twinge- he felt it ache at what he could not have. In that moment with her in the shade especially he grew to adore Sunshine even more. A strip of silk was wrapped across her chest solely for modesty- he knew. Oh god, how he knew! How many days has she taunted him with her bare shoulders and the delicate curves of her back all because she wants to soak in every kiss of the breeze. If her nature allowed her to run naked through the valley then she probably would have, yet her cheeks flush every mating season at the twitterpated animals. Yes, he was jealous of her happiness, love, and freedom, but beauty tipped him over the edge. How dare a creature possess all of these things while he had none! How dare she be so far above him! It wasn't fair!

When the Light finally came for Sunshine, she was chained around the thick trunk of the tree and Shadow was nowhere to be seen. Light overcame the Dark rebellion rather quickly, but it was days-weeks really- until Sunshine was allowed to descend into her valley once more. She was as physically healed as she would ever be. The cruel scar had lightened; however, it would forever mar her lithe abdomen. The soft yellow of her outfit framed it proudly as she strode through the tall grass, as if it were a trophy for what she's overcome. Mentally she was something else entirely. She was scared days ago. She would suffer panic fits at the mere thought of returning to her valley and all her friends reassured her that she would not have to. Imagine their surprise when she announced she would return this morning. She got up and left with no explanation for how could she explain the sudden change of mindset? How would she tell them that she dreamt of her attacker so sweetly the other night. Would they understand that it was so much more, it was a vision of sorts. Could they understand her sympathy when she told them how his caresses eased her pain? How silent, pained tears slid down his pierced face? How he took out his frustrations on the tree behind him and not her when he realized he couldn't stop the flow? How his face contorted because of his confliction? Most importantly and most definitely something they would scoff at was how he truly loved her. She saw the flashes of hate and disgust at her, but she also saw how forced they were and how he held so much more of them for himself. His ruby eyes warmed so undoubtedly with emotion as his scarred hand cupped her face before flitting off into the night that she decided she must return. She had to see him again if only to convey that she knew he was there all along and that… she came to love him too.

Shadow could do little more than gape at the apparition before him for that is what it must be. She came back. Never before had he been so happy in confinement. Her light radiated around her more so than before proving he was right. She became stronger and, damn him, was still absolutely stunning. Her toned legs peeked through the high slits of her skirt with every step towards… towards his tree. That's when Shadow noticed his mark. Had she come for revenge? Why else would she be baring it so proudly? With every confident step he shrank farther back into his chilled domain until his back pressed against the bark of the old oak. How can Shadow face his Sunshine after he betrayed her?

"Hello?"

His Sunshine stood just outside the shade, her radiance pulsed against the the border between light and dark. His mind screamed no, but his body and heart betrayed him as they always did when it came to her. He pushed off of the bark and took a step forward, slowly coming into the dimmed area she created. He tried so hard to hate her as he should. He tried so hard to break the hold she had on him to no avail. Shadow had finally decided that it was all or nothing. Maybe she'll finish him off for good and put him out of his misery. It was not long until he was staring her down and noticing how small she actually was. Maybe because her essence was everything but that.

A delicate hand raised and moved to touch his chest, but Shadow blocked her path. His hand gently pressed into her own, pale and small against tanned and large. Her golden eyes gazed up at him intensely as if she was searching for something. Her brows were furrowed in thought much to Shadow's amusement. A fanged smirk adorned his face that sent the best kind of shiver down Sunshine's spine. Spurred on by her reaction, Shadow moved his hand to cup her cheek, his thumb drew lazy circles into her freckled cheeks. He held her as if she would break and that would not do. She pressed her hand on top of his to deepen the contact. Both relished in the unique feeling that came from this small embrace. She had never known chill; likewise, he hardly knew warmth except from what she provided that horrible afternoon in the shade. Both were cautious to cross the line approaching, though what exactly the line was neither knew. The only thing apparent was the reality between them. So they remained silent. It was not uncomfortable in any sense of the word, it just was. They just were… His hand was on her cheek and her hand was on his own, the same emotion she saw in her dream emanated from his eyes. She leaned further into his touch with a happy hum. A few moments or so passed until Sunshine, although more than content with their current position, could no longer reign in her curiosity.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you love me?"

"Why do I breathe? Shorty, I can't help it."  
"Do you hate it?"

"I used too."

"And now?"

Something quite unheard of took place that cannot be described in detail for it is too against nature to describe naturally. Instead I'll put it simply: Shadow kissed Sunshine.

The days following, Sunshine planted many more trees in the Valley. Years later, they created a path of Shade so Shadow could enjoy the valley himself, enjoy the valley with her.

There is no her without him. There is no him without her. Yet, they cannot exist completely allowed to share caresses along the edge of each domain, they walk through their valley hand in hand trading cool peace for warm joy and a shared love that confounds even the most understanding hearts.


End file.
